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City honors longtime volunteer
FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Ralph Carlson received a surprise at a Fort Scott City Commission meeting he attended earlier this month.
A longtime community volunteer, Carlson said he thought he would be appearing at the Nov. 1 meeting to talk about a recent project by the Fort Scott Kiwanis Club to trim trees throughout the city.
Little did Carlson know that a special presentation would be made at the meeting recognizing him for his efforts in the community to assist those in need.
"It was quite a surprise," he said. "I was there on the pretext about reporting about the tree project. They did a PowerPoint presentation on me ... My wife, Saundra, knew it was going to happen. It's a neat thing to be recognized. I don't expect to be recognized for the stuff I do. I just do it because it needs to be done."
Fort Scott Codes Manager Brent Crays, who is also the city's director of community development and project management, coordinated the presentation to acknowledge Carlson.
"It's something I felt needed to be done," Crays said. "There are a lot of people in the community who need to be recognized for their efforts to help people in the community. I thought Ralph was a good beginning point. He does a tremendous amount of work on houses in this town for people who are in need. He's a great guy."
Carlson said he has worked together with Crays "quite a bit as a volunteer." He said he was appreciative of the unexpected recognition.
"They were very, very gracious with what they said about me," he said. "I was speechless, which is rare for me."
Crays said he first proposed the idea of recognizing Carlson to Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin, who "loved it. It's something he (Martin) wanted to do."
"I appreciate everything he's done," Martin said. "We have so many volunteers in the community. It's what makes Fort Scott a great place to live."
The presentation included a collection of photos and stories from Carlson's past, as well as more recent shots of him trimming trees with the Kiwanis Club and other volunteers who were also recognized at the meeting for their assistance in the project.
Crays said there were photos of the times Carlson has played his guitar and sung at the Heritage Park Pavilion and the Fort Scott National Historic Site "and a few odds and ends pictures." The photos and stories showed the love Carlson has for music, trees, birds and flying.
Crays said there was a "big thank you" to Carlson at the end of the presentation from commissioners and audience members. Fort Scott Mayor Jim Adams presented Carlson with a certificate of recognition for his hard work and volunteerism.
"He's got a lot of compassion for people and he's very talented," Crays said. "We would like to be able to recognize people in the community who give of their time and money and themselves to help others in the community."
Carlson organizes the weekly Friday Night Concert Series, sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Downtown Division during the summer.
He often sings and plays historic music with James "Red" Stradley as part of the musical duo Fuss and Feathers, and is a member and past president of the Fort Scott Kiwanis Club.
He is a member of the U.S. Highway 69 Frontier Military Scenic Byway Committee which works to educate people about the scenic byway and promote artifacts along the roadway.
Carlson said it was "gratifying" to see recognition of the efforts of volunteers in the community.
"It's so neat to be part of a communty that really works together. It's so full of volunteers," he said. "It's fun to do. It takes a lot of time, but it's fun to see the results of your efforts. It's nice to see those efforts are noticed, although it's not asked for."